Rotary engine



Aug. 7, 1923.; 1,463,988

w. WILLEHRTON ROTARY ENGINE Filed t. 13, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 aumzmtoz w/l/l'am W/7/er/0/7 .195

Aug. 7, 1923.

- Y 1,463,988 w. WILLERTON ROTARY ENGINE Filed Sept: 13. 1920 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 awuemtm Patented Aug. 7, i923.

ATES

ROTARY ENGINE.

Application filed. September To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM YVVILLERTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hillyard, in Spokane County and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in rotary steam engines of the com pound type, employing a rotating member or rotor with steam operated swinging pistons and swinging abutments co-acting therewith under expansion of the fluid pressure.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a simple and compact struc ture for this class of engines embodying novel features and combinations and arrangements of operating parts whereby the energy of the motive fluid is transmitted to the power shaft of the engine in an eilicient and economical manner.

The invention consists essentially in the novel combination and arrangements of the swinging pistons carried by the rotor and complementary swinging abutments supported from the engine casing, and in details of construction complementary to these parts, as will be hereinafter described, for carrying out the purposes of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention, wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the engine on line 11 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the broken line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view at line 33 of Figure 4 through the low pressure side of the engine.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view at line 4-4- of Figure 8, through a portion of the low pressure side of the engine.

The preferred form of the invention as illustrated in figures of the drawing contemplates the utilization of the usual cylindrical engine casing. of which the circular plate 1 forms the front wall, and the annular member or cylinder 2 forms the sides of the low and high pressure chambers, the casing being fixed or supported in suitable 13, 1920. Serial No. 409,924.

manner by the integral flanges 3 of the cylinder. The back plate l of the casing is attached at the rear of the cylinder and the front plate is secured to the cylinder by transversely extending bolts 5 which clamp these parts together with steam-tight joints.

Within the cylinder are provided two annular spaces 6 and 7, the former for high pressure steam and the latter for low pressure motive fluid, the cylinder 2 providing the common outer wall for these chambers, and annular flanges 8 and 9 providing the respective inner walls of these high and low pressure chambers. The annular flange 9 forming the inner wall of the low pressure chamber is an integral part of the interior circular plate or disc 10, located between the rotor 11 and the rear wall of the engine casing, and adjustable for contact with said disc or rotor 11 by means of the central. set screw or bolt 12 threaded through the rear wall at of the casing and bearing against the outer face of the circular plate 10.

The power developed from the energy of the steam in the engine is transferred and applied to its work by means of the power shaft 13 upon which the hub 1e of the rotor is splined or keyed, a collar 15 at the inner end of the shaft being employed to retain the rotor thereon. The shaft is revolvable in the fixed, central bearing sleeve 16 of the front plate of the casing, and a collar 17 on the shaft secures the joint against leakage.

Steam or other motive fluid under pressure is supplied to the engine through the main pipe 18 and two branch pipes 19 and 20 which are connected to their respective ports 21 and 22 drilled or bored transversely through the front plate, or through an in tegral boss 23 thereon.

The front plate is in the form of a ring with its annular flange 8 projecting inwardly, and the bosses 23 are formed at the inner periphery of the flange, with the inner annular'face of the flange and the inner faces of the bosses in contact with the outer face of the flat disc or rotor 11. The ports 21 and 22 are inlet or entrance ports for steam, and open into one of a series of three valve-ports 2 1-, 24, 24$, formed as annular grooves in the outer face of the rotor disc, and spaced. from the axis of the shaft in position to travel around, and successively engage or register with the entrance ports 21 and 22 of the casing or its front plate. These valve ports, while the Ell) Mitt

rotor is revolving, intermittently receive motive fluid under pressure from the entrance ports, and establish communication while in register with the entrance ports with complementary ports 25, 26 arranged in the bosses 23 and drilled parallel to the entrance ports 21, 22. The ports 25, 26, as indicated in Figure 2 are L-shaped and open, at the end of the radial passage 27 forming part thereof, into the high pressure chamher 6 of the engine cylinder. The radiating passages 27 of the two ports 25 and 26 are arranged at diametrically opposite sides of the shaft, and the group of valve ports are so situated with relation thereto to insure registration of two valve ports with the pairs of ports in the engine casing, in order that steam may be admitted to one portion of the high pressure chamber, while motive fluid is being cut olf at a diametrically opposite point in said chamber.

The rotor revolves clockwise, and carries diametrically opposed swinging pistons or blades 28, 29, and 30 the free ends of which sweep around in contact with the inner peripheral face of the wall 2 of the high pressure chamber and are held in this position by motive fluid pressure as indicated in Figure 1. Near its outer edge the rotor is provided with a socket 30 for each piston blade and the blades each have a boss 31 oscillatable in a socket, the blades conforming to the cross area of the annular chamber 6 and making a close frictional joint with its four valls. The piston blades are provided with shoulders 32 which bear upon the peripheral surface of tie outer wall of the chamber and hold them in proper contact with the inner wall thereof.

In close proximity to the steam ports 25, 26 or their radial passages 27 are arranged a pair of swingingabutment-s as 33 and 3a, which are stationary relative to the swinging piston blades, but oscillatable on bosses 35 in sockets 36 in the front plate of the casing. The bosses 35, which are located at the inner side of the chamber 6 permit the free ends of the abutments to swing into contact with the wall 2 or outer periphery of the chamber, and shoulders 32'' on these abutments bear against the flange S of the front plate to afford a support thereagainst and limit the movement of the abutments. It will be noted that the abutments are piv oted by their bosses at the inner side of the chamber 6 with their free ends in contact with the outer wall of the chamber, while the swinging pistons are pivoted on their bosses at the outer wall of the chamber with their free ends in contact with the periphery of the annular flange 3 of the front plate. As the rotor revolves from pressure of steam admitted to the high pressure chamber 6, as through passage 27 to the space between piston 29 and abutment 34;

in Figure 1, it will be apparent that the expansion of steam will force and hold the abutment in the position shown while the pressure exerted against the swinging piston 29 will force its free end into contact with the outer periphery of the annular flange 8. Under pressure on the piston 29 the rotor is revolved, the piston traveling around its circular path until its free end contacts with the free end of the abutment The piston passes over the abutment with a wiping action of their faces, each element being swung on its pivot, after which the abutment, by gravity, returns to the position shown in Figure l. The pi ton remains idle as it passes through the lower portion of the chamber 6, but swings to its original position, passing over the abutment 34k and uncovering and passing over the passage 27 from port 25. The period for entrance of live steam at high pressure to the space between the piston 29 and abutment 3% extended during the time required for the valve groove 3% in the rotor to swing around while in register with the two ports 21 and 25, and as the valve groove passed out of register therewith the steam supply was cut off. At the lower side of the chamber (5 in igure 1, steam is about to be cut off from the valve groove 21 as it passes from register with the ports 22 and 26, but the action described between piston 29 and abutment 34 has already taken place between the piston 30 and abutment 33.

The same action will repeated as the piston blade 28 passes under ports 22 and 26 subsequent to its passage under abutment the abutment 32, and this piston will receive steam from the valve groove 2% at the left in Figure 1. In this manner a succession of three impulses are given with each rotation or revolution of the rotor, and as the speed of the rotor increases the action of the pisstons increases resulting in a continuous and. uniform rotation of the rotor in its casing.

Following the described action of the piston 29 in its passage through the high pressure chamber, it will be evident that the high pressure, expanded steam, following this piston, is cut oil by the abutment after said piston has passed said abutment This expanded steam is now transferred to the low pressure chamber 7 by way of a transfer duct 38 formed in the transversely extending, obliquely arranged, spoke, or bar 39 cast integral with the annular flange S and a complementary duct 40 is also provided in this transverse bar. The ducts 38 and, a0 form a continuous passage with its opposite open ends communicating with the higa pressure chamber 6 at diametrically opposite points and this passage is inter cepted at the axial center of the engine by a T-shape channel 41, the longer leg of which is bored from the inner end of the shaft 18, and extends along its axial center. The channel 41 opens into a low pressure steam. chest 42, which is a cylindrical space formed between the interior plate 10, the annular flange 9 and the rotor, at the side of the high pressure chamber and within the low pressure chamber 7.

Radially extending, diametrically opposed 7 low pressure ports 43 and a4 establish comtons 50, 51, 52, and a pair of diametrically disposed swinging abutments 53 and 54, the former pivoted near the outer edge of, the rotor in sockets on the opposite side of the rotor from the sockets 80 torthe high pres sure pistons, and the abutments 58 and 54: are pivoted in the inner face or the interior plate 10. The action of the pistons and abutments in the low pressure chamber is the same as those in the high pressure chan1- her, but as shown in dotted lines Figure l the groups of pistons are relatively arranged in order that the six pistons occur at six regularly spaced intervals about the peripheral edge of the rotor thus distributing the application of power thereto and insuring a uniform and smooth running of the engine.

It will thus be apparent that the full force of the steam or motive fluid fed to the engine at the high pressure side is utilized and compounded, and the exhaust steam expanded to approximately atmospheric pressure, is disposed of after operating in the low pressure chamber of the engine.

The interior plate 10 and its flange 9 may be adjusted by turning the bolt 12 to take up wear, and the annular face of the flange which bears against the low pressure side of the rotor may, in this manner, he kept in close contact with the rotor. A packing ring 55 for the peripheral edge of the rotor is seated in an annular groove in the cylinder wall 2, and said wall is provided with an annular shoulder 56 against which the face of the rotor, at the high pressure side of the engine, contacts and is held by action. of the adjusting bolt 12.

In Figure 3 a piston and an abutment are shown in position they occupy when the former is passing the latter, and it will be understood that the pistons, except when under pressure of stean' are free to swing on their pivots under action of gravity, as are also the swinging abutments. But under steam pressure in both chambers, the pistons and abutments are retained in closed position in the chambers, and the pistons sweep around in their chambers with their free ends in contact with the inner walls of the chambers.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. The combination with an engine casing, a shaft and a circular disk having a hub fixed on said shaft and forming a rotor, of

an inner flange on the front wall of the casing forming an annular steam chamber at one side of said rotor, co-acting pistons and abutments in said chamber, said rotor having a series of spaced arcuate valvegrooves, and said casing having entrance valves for steam co-acting with said valve grooves, as described.

2. The combination in a rotary engine with its shaft, a circular disk having a hub fixed to said shaft and forming a rotor, said rotor and casing to 'ming an annular steam chamber and coacting pistons and abutments in the latter, of means for intermittently introducing steam to said chamber comprising a series of spaced arcuate grooves in the rotor, a pair of diametrically arranged entrance ports in the casing and a steam supply thereto, and complementary steam ports for establishing communication between the respective grooves and said chamber.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLEAM VVILLERTON, 

